Poll: Giuliani would beat Paterson, Gillibrand while gaining on state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo

ALBANY - Weeks before he's expected to announce whether he will run for office in 2010, a poll released Tuesday shows former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani improving his standing against Democrats for governor and U.S. Senate.

The Siena Research Institute found Giuliani, a Republican, beating Gov. David A. Paterson in a hypothetical matchup, 56 percent to 33 percent, up from last month's 52-35. The governor continues to have historically low approval ratings, with only 19 percent of voters saying that he's doing a good job.

Giuliani also is gaining on state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, whom many Democrats want to run for the Executive Mansion instead of Paterson. Giuliani now loses to Cuomo, 50 percent to 43 percent, compared with last month's 52-39.

In a hypothetical Democratic primary, Paterson loses to Cuomo, 70 percent to 20 percent, a gain for Cuomo of 4 percentage points since last month.

In a possible Senate matchup, Giuliani has expanded his lead over Democratic incumbent Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand by 8 points, to 53 percent, compared with her 36 percent.

The poll of 624 voters, conducted Oct. 14-18, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.